Five-star forward Perry commits to Miss. State

Perry decommitted from Arkansas earlier this month, citing his father’s health. Florida State and Mississippi State immediately made him a priority during the first live period last week, with both Leonard Hamilton and Ben Howland watching Perry at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale in South Carolina over the weekend.

Five-star forward Reggie Perry is the top ranked player in the state of Georgia and the No. 17 ranked prospect in the ESPN 100 for 2018. AP Photo

Perry, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Thomasville High School (Georgia), is ranked No. 17 in the ESPN 100 for 2018. He’s the best player in the state of Georgia, and the No. 7 power forward in the class. He averaged 17.0 points and 8.4 rebounds this spring with the Arkansas Hawks AAU program, then followed it up with 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds at the Gauntlet Finale last week.

Perry is Howland’s first commitment in the 2018 class, but he’s the seventh ESPN 100 prospect to commit to the Bulldogs since Howland took over in 2015. Perry is the first five-star player to commit to Mississippi State since Malik Newman came to Starkville in 2015.